Metro, business and city leaders join the UC Bearcat in breaking ground on the Uptown Transit District plan.

Tana Weingartner
/ WVXU

Metro is rolling out its new Plus service and Uptown Transit District plan around UC and the hospital campuses.

Four new boarding shelters are being installed. They'll feature LED displays with real-time information.

The district will also serve as a transfer point for nine routes rather than going through the main hub downtown.

President and CEO of the Uptown Consortium Beth Robinson says the newly created Uptown Transit District is important for easing congestion.

"At some point we have got to get people out of their cars and (riding) the bus so we don't have gridlock, we don't have to add streets and parking facilities" she says. "We'd rather see that in the form of housing and land used for commercial development rather than more parking garages."

The $6.9 million project is expected to be ready late this year or early next year. Metro's Plus service will be expanded later this summer between Kenwood, Xavier and Downtown.